Swinging automobile headlight



Oct. 23, 1928. f I 1,689,167

J. R. CAMERON SWINGING AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT Original Filed Jan. 2. 1926wm @i Patented @et 23, i928.

UNET@ tesa-,iti

JOI-IN RAPHAEL CAMERON, 0F EVANSVILLE INDIANA.

SWINGING AUTOMOBILE "HEADLIGI-IVT.

Application filed January 2, 1926, Serial No. l78,873. Renewed'september12, 1928.

This invention relates vto swinging automobile headlights.

My object is the provision of novel means for swinging automobileheadlights `from their normal, straight ahead,position, so that theywill be disposed angularly or turn laterally toward the outer side ofthe road or street and thus the rays of light may be turned to one sideso that they will not strike in the face. of the driver of a car comingfrom the opposite direction. i

Usually, deflecting the lheadlights through an arc of ten to fifteendegrees, more or less,

will Lbe sufficient to so change the directions of the `rays of light,that, whilethe roadr ahead will be illuminated sufficiently thelightwill not strile'the driver vof an approaching car;

The invention is not limited to means whichv swinging the headlights andthat motive fluid pressure in connection with pistons and cylinderssubject to suitable valve Ycontrol may be used, or, electro-magnets,Vsolencid's, or other electrically energized devices can be used.

By way of illustration, I have shown air controlled pistons andcylinders, subject to suitable valve control for operating theAheadlights.

It is unnecessary toV deflect the Aoperating and locling'me'chanism inconnection with fboth headlights as a single mechanism forl this purposeis sufficient inasmuch as my 1n-` vention proposes to cross-couple theheadlights by suitable connections so that they will be moved in unison.e l

In carrying o ut theinvention, an operating arm is provided for one ofthe headlight mountings and the headlight mountings are provided witharms which are cross connected by a rod. v

The operating arm is actuated one way or mountings l.

the other by a toothed member or 'rack and there -is provided a novellocking device for,

'flected position. The rack is operated by pistons and cylinders,armatures and solenoi'ds, or any othermeans as may be desired. @neembodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings andset vforth in the following specification. i I

I wish it understood that modifications' may be made in the improvedoperating mechamsm, regardless ofthe particular means, such as pistonsand cylinders, solenoids, etc.` which may be used to actuate saidoperating mechamsm. f

' -l'n the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a horizontal section through the housings and mountingl forthe headlights,

the operating means being shown in full lines *Figure 2 is a verticalsection through one of the housings, the operating mechanism being shownin full lines;

Figures?) and llare both side elevations of' the shifting and lockingmechanism; and

Figure 5 is a detail plan view of the shifting mechanism, the guideplates, the cylinders and the mounting, lthe locking Vdevice or latchbeing omitted. A f f Mountings l are provided which are adapted to turninvbraclets 2 carried by the automobile. The headlights are carried bythe The operating mechanism need not bedup'licated and it is containedwithin the housing 3, separate housings being provided for therespective mountings l.

Each mounting l yhas an arm 4,' the arms .be-

ing cross connectedby a rod 5 pivo'ted to them at 6 and running freelythrough a tube l. rl`he rod is thus protected yfrom injury and from theweather. .i

The rockable mounting l carries a fixed operating arm 8 by-which saidmounting is rocked, and the'other mounting 1 is correspondingly 'turnedthrough` theconnections` i The rack@ having teeth 10 and interdentalspaces 11 constitutes the meansfor swinging the arm 8*-to one positionyo'rthe other. The walls ofthe-teeth 10 serve as camsy for operating alatching device 12 by which the rack 9 is held in one position or theother. 'Vl en the rack 9 is shifted the rollers carried by the latchingdevice ride upwardly on the inclined or cam walls of the teeth and thearm 8 is then released so that the Yrack 9 may shift the arm 8. Aftersuch shifting has occurred the rollers 13 descend into the interdentalspaces 11 and thus lock the rack and at the same time a projection 14 onthe latching device 12 locks the arm 8 against movement in the slot 15inthe rack.

' with mouths 18 leading to said guides.

` ton rod 23 attached to the rack 9.

To limit the latching device 12 to an up and downV movement and toinsure that the arm 8 will be latched after it has been moved, plates16are provided which have guides 17 corresponding to the slot 15 and areprovirlwd ie mouths have inclined sides to act on correspondinglyinclined parts'of a guiding projection 19. The guide plates 16 areprovided with slots 2O to receive partsof the latching y delivered froma tank 27 by a pipe 28. The

tank 27 may be charged with compressed air in any desired manner and tothat end it may have a nipple and inlet valve adapted for connection toa hand pump or to the air hoseat a gasoline service station.

It will be understood that exhaust from the engine may be used as themotive fluid and controlled by-a suitable valve instead of usingcompressed air, or, the cylinders 21, 22 may be operated by vacuum fromthe vacuum y tank of the automobile, under suitable valve control.

f In lieu of cylinders, solenoids, controlled. by suitable switchmeans,` may be used for moving the rack 9 in one direction or the other.If the headlights are arranged in the usual,

Vstraight ahead manner, and it is desired to deflect them so that adriver approaching from the opposite direction will not be sub. ject totheir glare, the rack 9 isactuated'by its operating means. The firstpart of the movement of the rack causes the inclined or cani walls ofthe interdental spaces 11 to force the rollers 13 upwardly, therebyVelevating the latching device 12 and withdrawing the locking projection14 from engagement with the arm 8.v This releases the arm 8 so ythatfurther movement of the rack 9 causes the end of the Yslot 15 to engagethe arm 8A and swingV it from vits normal position to its deflectedposition, thereby turning the headlights. Imn'iediately ai'ter thisaction has occurred, the latching member drops down again because theshifting oi the rack 9 then causes Vthe rollers 13 to clear the crestsof the teeth 10 up which they have ridden. The latch then relocks therack 9 and the projectionV 14 vfalls down in front of the arm 8, lockingthe latter in the shifted position. Consequently the headlights willremain in their dellected arrangement until the rack is moved in theopposite direction. versal ot action ot the latching device takes place.The projection 14 is first freedfrom the arm 8 by the rising of thelatching 'device ;Y the rack then shifts further, carrying along with itthe arm 8 to bring it back to normalr position; the latching device`then drops to relock therack.

The guide plates 16 prevent displacement of the latching device 12 inthe direction of travel of the rack 9.

l/Vhat I claim is: j

1. Means for swinging headlights comprising a rockably mounted memberfor turning the headlights, a latch mounted independentvly of saidrockably mounted member adapted i'or latching the member in itsrespect-ive positions, and a movable actuator' adapted, when operated,to iirst mechanically automatically release the latch from the rockablymounted member and then swing said rockably mounted member.

2. Means for swinging headlights comprising the combination oi" arockably mounted member for turning the headlights, means for latchingsaid member in its respective positions, and a movable toothed rackadapted, when operated, to lirst mechanically automatically unlatchtherockably mounted member and then to swingl said rockably mounted member.

Vhen this is done, a re- 3. Means for swinging headlights compris ing arockably mounted member forl turning the headlights, a sli dably mountedlatch, independent ot' said rockably mounted member, adapted to locksaid rockably mounted member, and a movable actuator adapted first torelease the latch and thereafter to swing the rockably mounted member. y

4. Means for swinging headlights compris ing a rockably mounted memberfor turning the hea dli ghts,`a slidable latch mounted independently ofsaid member adaptedftor locking said rockably mounted member in itsdifferent positions, and a slidably mounted toothed rack adapted lirst-to release the latch from the member and thereafter to swing saidmember.

5. Means for swinging headlights comprising operating devices, aslidably mounted. rack movable in one direction or the other` under thecontrol of said devices, `said rack having teeth provided with pointedcrests and inclined sides, and a latch slidable in a general cross-Wisedirection relative to said rack and having means to enter the spacesbetween the teeth for the purpose of locking` the rack7 said latch beingdisplaced by the teeth when the rack moves, said rack having anoperative connection to the headlight mounting so that the movements oft-he rack Will result in swinging the headlights, said latch serving tolock the rack'and also the 10 headlight swinging means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOI-IN RAPHAEL CAMERON.

